James Madison Leaving Sun Belt For American Conference

James Madison is leaving the Sun Belt Conference for the American Conference, the university announced Monday, making it the latest school to change leagues in college sports’ ongoing wave of conference realignment.

JMU’s Board of Visitors voted Monday unanimously to authorize the university to notify the Sun Belt that it is leaving. The Dukes will become full members of the American no later than July 1, 2028. Student reporter Libby Mercer first reported the board’s vote before the school confirmed it.

“The American Conference is the right home for James Madison University,” the school said in a statement, citing academic, competitive and geographic reasons.

University president James Schmidt said the school was “honored that our request for membership in the American Conference has been accepted.” He also thanked the Sun Belt and its member schools for the championships and relationships JMU built during its time in the league.

The Dukes will compete in the American in 17 of the school’s 18 sports. Field hockey will remain in the Mid-American Conference.

The move comes with a significant price tag. JMU will pay nearly $23 million to join the American and a $5 million exit fee to the Sun Belt.

JMU will receive a full share of the American’s media rights revenue right away. New members often receive only a partial share during their first few years in a conference.

Money also appears to have driven the timing. The Sun Belt had planned to vote this week on raising its exit fee above the $5 million that Texas State paid when it left the league for the Pac-12.

The Sun Belt responded with a statement saying its leadership will evaluate all of its options and continue working to ensure the conference’s rise as “the premier FBS non-autonomy conference in the country.”

JMU’s addition gives the American 14 football-playing members. Sources said the conference is not planning to add another school in the near future.

The Dukes have risen quickly since leaving the FCS’s Colonial Athletic Association to join the Sun Belt in 2022. Under coach Curt Cignetti, JMU went 19-4 over its first two FBS seasons. Cignetti then left for Indiana, where he led the Hoosiers to their first national championship.

Under coach Bob Chesney, the Dukes won their first Sun Belt title last season, finished 12-2, and reached the College Football Playoff. They have not lost a conference game since a double-overtime defeat to Marshall in November 2024.

This season, JMU is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in Sun Belt play under first-year head coach Billy Napier.

The American offers JMU a higher national profile and a more regional footprint. The Harrisonburg, Virginia, school will be within driving distance of several future conference opponents, including Army, Navy, Temple, East Carolina and Charlotte.

JMU will continue competing in the Sun Belt until its move to the American becomes official.

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Article by USports Editors